3rd Person View lets you star in your own action videos

If you like to shoot point-of-view videos of your “extreme” endeavors, perhaps you sometimes get people saying “How come we never get to see you in any of these?”. Well, you can address that by using something like the BoomPro or Go360 – both devices suspend your camera from your helmet, allowing it to get a shot of you. Soon, however, you may be able to get something a bit fancier, in the form of the 3rd Person View.

Created by Dutch film producer Thijs Vrij, the device consists of three parts – a waterproof adjustable waistband with a carbon sandwich backplate; an alloy adjustable camera pole; and, a locking/release mechanism. The whole thing reportedly weighs less than 950 grams (2 lbs) and fits inside a backpack when disassembled.

An actioncam of the user’s choice is attached to the end of the pole (via the user’s own camera-specific mount), and the pole is then plugged into a receptacle in the backplate. Once the pole/camera are positioned the way the user wants them, everything is locked into place.

The system is said to allow for a variety of shooting angles, as opposed to other products that simply let the camera look in at the user’s face – and yes, it can get face-on shots from the front, although one would assume that involves wearing the waistband backwards. Additionally, the pole and camera can be removed from the backplate, so the user can hold them out in front of themselves.

Vrij is currently raising production funds for the 3rd Person View, on Kickstarter. A pledge of £135 (US$214) will get you one, when and if the funding goal is met – a less expensive model designed specifically for kite- and windsurfers can be had for a pledge of £120 ($190).